On keeping the practice at a good clip

I thought I'll write a quick post about the state of my practice, even though I really don't have too much to say about it. The last couple of days haven't been the best, energy-wise: Yesterday morning, in particular, I actually felt a little tired and run-down during practice, especially during the standing postures. But I kind of just noted the run-down feeling in my mind (Run-down feeling: Check!), and then went on with the rest of the practice anyway (full primary and second up to Supta Vajrasana). When I looked at my cellphone at the end of practice, I saw that the whole thing had taken just an hour and thirty-two minutes. Not bad for feeling tired and run-down ;-)

I have this habit of looking at the time at the end of practice (just before taking rest) to see how long my practice on any given day takes. Sometimes, this makes me feel like I'm running some kind of marathon. But I think there is something to be said for keeping the practice at a good clip. I mean, you certainly don't want to rush the breath unduly just to have a speedy practice. But you also don't want the practice to be so leisurely that you open yourself up to temptations to faff or obsess about particular postures, or do other things that are extraneous to the practice. Hence it is a good idea to try to maintain a certain pace and to keep the practice at a good clip. Kristen recently blogged about how it's a good idea to do led primary to Sharath's video (actually, I think it doesn't have to be Sharath; any teacher who counts consistently would do the trick) so that one can be sure one is keeping up the pace. Can't agree more. I do Sharath's led CD at least once a week, and I think this has a positive impact on my pace during the rest of the week as well. I still tend to give myself extra breaths to get into certain poses (Mari D, for instance), but by and large, I feel that, with Sharath's count in the back of my mind as the template, I am much less likely to faff or to obsess over this or that posture. I just do whatever I have to do in the present moment in accordance with the vinyasa count as best as I can, then move on to the next thing. As it is with the practice, so it is with life.